Stradom Street

Stradom, a mediaeval settlement at the foot of Wawel Hill, was mainly inhabited by craftsmen and servants working in the castle. In 1419, King Ladislaus Jagiełło included Stradom in Kazimierz even though the two were separated by the branch of the Vistula flowing along today’s Dietla street. The bridge connecting them, known as Królewski (Pons Regalis, i.e. the Royal Bridge), existed until mid-19th century.

Most of the houses in today’s Stradom date back to the 19th century. Standing out from it is the monumental five-storey residential building of Moses (Mojżesz) Ohrenstein standing on the corner of Stradom and Dietla streets. Designed by Jan Zawiejski, one of the most eminent Kraków architects, it was modelled on the elegant residential buildings in Vienna. The building is crowned by a rather heavy neo-baroque dome towering over the area.

Two baroque churches in Stradom have been preserved to this day: the Bernardine (Brownriar) Church and the church of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians).

It is often forgotten that Stradom once boasted one more church: the St Jadwiga’s Church. Towards the end of the 18th century this was absorbed by the building which the Austrians made their customs house. The church is no longer in existence today and forms part of residence No. 12/14. Its remnants can still be seen when one enters the courtyard.